Reality-distorting beauty filters, and the US mineral boom

The Bold Glamour beauty filter on TikTok has been used over 16 million times since its release last month. It contours your cheekbone and jawline in a sharp but subtle line. In addition, it lifts your eyebrows, applies a shimmer to your eyelids, and gives you thick, long, black eyelashes. 

Think this isn’t relevant to you? Think again. The really amazing thing about this filter is how well it functions: the results are ultra-realistic. It’s just the latest example of how it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish what’s real from what’s not. Read the full story.

—Tate Ryan-Mosley

Tate’s story is from The Technocrat, her new weekly newsletter covering politics, power, and Silicon Valley. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Friday.

US minerals industries are booming. Here’s why.

A recent set of sweeping US laws have kicked off a boom in proposals for new mining operations, minerals processing facilities, and battery plants, laying the foundation for domestic supply chains that could support rapid growth in electric vehicles and other clean technologies.

But some experts worry that the laws’ requirements are so stringent they could have the unintended effect of actually slowing the shift to cleaner technologies.

David Turk, deputy secretary of the Department of Energy, spoke with MIT Technology Review about what a US mining resurgence means, why it’s crucial to build up supply chains, and how the Biden administration is striving to strike the right balance on the attendant concerns. Read the full story.

—James Temple


Source link